


In Which Chat Noir is an Idiot and Marinette is a Good Friend

by andtheyweredeskmates (Shelbylea2599)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Marichat, No beta- we die like men, Reveal Fic, love square, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shelbylea2599/pseuds/andtheyweredeskmates
Summary: Chat really is a whole idiot
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 6
Kudos: 176





	In Which Chat Noir is an Idiot and Marinette is a Good Friend

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a rewrite of a short fic I wrote and I decided to just repost because the first one was just kind of a mess (thats what happens when you decide to write something at 6 am instead of going to bed). This is really close to my heart because its the first thing I ever posted and wrote that was well received. So anywhoo, I hope y'all like it!

It honestly all started with Chat trying to be nice. He was on his way back home after an akuma attack, hopping from rooftop to rooftop under the nights sky, when he spotted Marinette. She was walking and shivering violently, likely because of the frigid weather that had been ravaging Paris.

“Cold, little lady?”

Chat had dropped down to the street, blocking Marinette’s path. Marinette responded with a disapproving look.

“NO,” she chattered. Chat chuckled and gestured to his baton.

“Wanna ride?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow.

“C’mon, I’m not gonna bite, just hop on my back.” Chat held out a hand to Marinette. She hesitated, but after a long moment, she took it. Chat crouched for Marinette to unceremoniously climb on his back. When she was secure, Chat grinned wickedly at her and activated his baton to abruptly launch them toward the sky.

Chat leapt from building to building, admittedly showing off a little bit. Whe he glanced back, he was happy and a little surprised to see Marinette looking longingly at the world as it passed by.

“Liking the view?” he asked cheekily.

Marinette smiled widely at Chat.

“You know I’ve passed these streets a million times but I’ve never taken to time to see how beautiful Paris really is.”

Chat gaped at Marinette for a moment before abruptly turning his head back to the path ahead.

“Yeah its really something,” he said softly.

Chat tried to think about all the times he’s hung out with Marinette at school as Adrien. He’d never seen her as calm and comfortable as she was now. She had always seemed awkward and panicked and he’d always felt bad that she never seemed to just relax.

Chat had to admit that he liked seeing this side of her, with her pigtails in the wind, and a smile on her face as she let the sights of the city dazzle her.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at the balcony of Marinette’s house. Chat crouched again to let Marinette down and after she dismounted, he winked.

“Hope you enjoyed the ride.”

Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Thanks kitty, I’ll see you around.” She turned around to get inside.

“When?”

And just like that Marinette was as flustered as she always was. She looked back at Chat as she floundered for a response.

“Um yeah, ya know, like on TV while you’re out saving the world… and stuff.” Chat laughed.

“Right, well I bid you adieu mademoiselle.” Marinette nodded and almost mechanically made her way back to the trap door to let herself inside.

Chat turned to make his own way home, moving on instinct as he let daydreams of Marinette’s smile being lit up by Paris- dance through his head.

…

The next time Adrien saw Marinette as Chat, he was furious. He was tired of being cooped up at home and tired of being treated like a child. So he left. He was wandering Paris aimlessly talking to himself when he saw her on the balcony.

Marinette was gazing at the stars in what looked like her pajamas, same look on her face that Chat had seen when he’d carred her across Paris. 

He stopped for a moment with the intent of just admiring her. She looked so content and Chat couldn’t help but think about how badly he wanted to feel like that. More than anything.

He hadn’t realized how long he’d been staring until Marinette waved at him with a smile. He blushed and without even thinking he made his way to her balcony and settled atop the railing beside her.

“Are you stalking me now kitty?” Marinette teased.

Chat ran a clawed hand threw his hair and over his ears, throwing his head back dramatically.

“I knew you wanted to see me again.”

Marinette rolled her eyes.“Oh yes, my hero,” she said sarcastically.

Chat grinned. “Stargazing?”

Marinette smiled softly.

“I like looking at the stars sometimes. Gives me a little perspective. I feel like sometimes I get too caught up in my own little world.”

Chat looked up at the sky. “Yeah I know what you mean.”

Marinette looked up at him gently.

“What are you doing out here? Out on patrol?”

Chat scratched his head and looked back down apoligetically.

“Not exactly, I guess I needed to get out of my own little world too.”

“Well you’re welcome to sit out here with me if you want, just try not to ruin the moment with your stupid puns.” Chat grinned.

“Your wish is my command princess.”

Marinette blushed at the remark but Chat didn’t notice. He’d already turned his head back to the sky. They basked in the starlight in silence for hours while Marinette slowly transitioned from standing, to sitting, to laying on her stomach until eventually she fell asleep.

Chat chuckled quietly as he picked her up and brought her back down into her room, placing her gently on her bed. His eyes lingered on her face for a few moments before Chat padded out of the room and made his way back home.

For the rest of the night, visions of Marinette’s soft, relaxed expression as she slept- littered Chat’s thoughts.

…

After that, It became a regular occurrence for Chat to stop by Marinette’s house when he went out to blow off steam. She always found a way to make him feel better. He constantly had to remind himself at school that Adrien didn’t have the same relationship with Marinette that Chat did and it bothered him. He hated that Marinette seemed so uncomfortable around him when she was able to speak so effortlessly with Chat and he couldn’t understand why. He tried to confront her about it subtly but he ended up more confused than anything.

“… and that’s when Alya spilled her lemonade all over me and when I got up to clean it all up I ran right into this really popular guy from my class and I looked like an idiot and it was so embarrassing so I...” Marinette was rambling but of course Chat knew exactly what she was talking about. He decided to use this as an oppurtunity.

“Popular guy, huh?”

Marinette leaned back with a defeated look on her face. She groaned

“Yeah, his name is Adrien. As in Adrien freaking Agreste. The famous model.”

“Wow, you go to school with that guy huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like him?” Marinette started blushing profusely.

“I mean I like him but I don’t like him -like him, I mean, he’s just a friend- well we’re not really friends but he’s always been nice to me-“

“Mari, calm down, I just meant do you think he’s nice.” Marinette straightened up.

“Oh, yeah I do. I think he’s really thoughtful and sweet.”

Chat had no idea what to do with that information. If Marinette thought he was thoughtful and sweet then why did she always freak out around him? Dozens of questions flitted around in his brain that he had no idea how to ask without giving up his identity. So instead Chat just let the confusion slowly drive him insane.

…

Eventually Chat was visiting Marinette more than he wasn’t. Even Ladybug seemed to notice how quickly he was ready to race back to Marinette’s each night after patrol.

“Got any plans after this Minou?”

“Oh just gonna go see a friend.”

Ladybug smiled knowingly. “Oh? Whats she like?”

Chat grinned back.

“Incredible. She’s strong, she’s funny, she’s smart. Way cooler than me.”

“She sounds great Chat.” Chat was too wrapped up in his thoughts to see Ladybug stare at him, taken aback, or hear the sudden change in her tone from teasing to very far away.

“Yeah, she is. She’s kinda like my best friend.”

…

Marinette and Chat talked for hours and they didn’t hold back. Sometimes he would model designs Marinette had been working on for her to make alterations, sometimes Chat would sit in front of Marinette while she played with his hair and put it in braids, sometimes Chat would try out new puns and Marinette would rate them, sometimes they would talk about Hawkmoth and how they hoped he would be caught soon. But sometimes, they would comfort each other.

Chat nearly lost it when he came to Marinette’s balcony and saw her red rimmed eyes and tear streaked face.

“Mari, whats wrong?” Marinette started sobbing immediately. Without even thinking, he pulled her in for a hug and let his head settle on the top of her head.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. Chat was frightened. He’d never seen Marinette like that before. He’d seen her be brave, cheeky, angry, but this- this was something else.

“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away and wiping at her eyes. Chat looked at her, worry clear in his eyes.

“Don’t apologize. Just tell me what happened.”

Marinette took a big breath.

“It’s just this girl at school. She’s a liar and I can’t stand it so I tried to call her out but no one would believe me. They all told me that I was just jealous. My own friends Chat! And I-“ Marinette broke down again. Her words were almost incoherent but Chat knew all too well what she was referring to. His heart broke. He knew Lila was a liar. He knew that Lila was being mean to her and he knew that no one at school believed Marinette. Except him.

But he had let it all slip from his mind because never in a million years had he considered that Marinette would be fazed. She was so strong and so resilient it hadn’t even occurred to him that Marinette _could_ get knocked down. Chat immediately felt like an idiot.

Of course Marinette was hurt. Anyone would be hurt if their own friends turned on them. Marinette was a normal girl like anyone else, even if she was strong, and she had feelings.

That’s when Chat got angry. Not just angry, but pissed. The kind of pissed that makes you shake so hard that your vision turns red and you’re ready to snap at the next person who so much as looks at you the wrong way. Or in this case, looks at Marinette the wrong way.

He made up his mind right there. Tomorrow he was gonna put a stop to this. No one deserved to be treated like that, least of all his Mari and he was never going to let anyone treat her like that ever again.

Chat was so caught up in his own thoughts as he held Marinette in his arms as he whispered words of comfort and validation, he didn’t even notice that from then on, when he thougth of Marinette, he always thought of her, as _his_ Mari.

…

The two of them got increasingly comfortable with each other. After that night, the two of them got closer than ever. It wasn’t uncommon for Chat to lay his head in his Mari’s lap or for her to lay her head on Chat’s shoulder. Sometimes when they would look at the stars, Chat would drape his arm around her shoulder and just hold her till she fell asleep.

After that night, Adrien made more of an effort with Marinette at school. He wanted her to know that there was always someone on her side to stand up for her. Not because Marinette couldn’t stand up for herself, but because he didn’t want her to have to.

…

“You know I find it a little crazy that we talk almost everyday and you haven’t talked about boys once.”

Chat was sitting on the ground playing with a flower he’d stolen out of someone’s yard, in front of Mari who was sitting in a law chair and putting his hair in tiny braids. He felt her hands stop and her body stiffen behind him.

“What do you mean?” She asked evenly.

“I mean we talk about pretty much everything but you’ve never once talked about a crush or someone you like. I think its weird. You know that I’m in love with Ladybug. How come you won’t tell me who you’re in love with.”

“Maybe I’m not in love with anybody!” Marinette protested.

“Everyone has a crush on somebody. You’re 16.” Chat was smirking as he started to pick the petals from his flower one by one.

“Well how old are you? I heard you were over 5,000 years old so I bet you can’t even remember what it’s like to be 16.”

Chat laughed. “First of all, my age is classified information. Second, you’re avoiding my question. You can’t lie to me, Mari.”

Marinette was quiet for a moment.

“You can’t make fun of me.” She whispered. She put her hands in her lap and played with them anxiously.

Chat just smiled back. “I would never! Scouts honor.”

Marinette sighed before shoving her head in her hands

“Ammphm.” The sound was muffled and completely unintelligble.

“Mari, I can’t hear you with your face in your hands.” He could, however, hear her groan of frustration.

“It’s Adrien. I have a huge, stupid, giant, crush on Adrien.” Chat stood up so fast he nearly scared Marinette out of her seat.

“What?” he asked, baffled.

“Adrien?” Marinette said again. She looked confused by Chat’s sudden outburst.

“I said you can’t make fun of me,” She grumbled to herself.

Chat straightened a little, trying to appear unfazed.

“No I’m not making fun of you, just surprised I guess.”

“Why are you surprised?” Marinette’s confusion was growing and Chat was backing himself into a corner that he was desperately trying to escape..

“Um- because- I – I mean- I met him once and he seemed like a jerk.” Chat was mentally hitting himself. He seriously couldn’t come up with a better lie than that?

“That doesn’t sound like him. Maybe you just met him when he was in a bad mood?”

Chat scrunched his nose up. He couldn’t fathom what Marinette even saw in Adrien anyway. She never even talked to him. From her perspective Adrien was just a guy stuck under the thumb of his father with a desperate need for friends.

“Well, are you sure that you don’t just find him attractive because he’s famous?” Chat blurted out.

It didn’t take long for Chat to realize he’d made a mistake. Marinette gave him the look. The one that she used when Chloe was terrorizing her classmates or when Lila would lie. The look that he’d once prayed to God would never be directed at him.

“Of course not you ass. You don’t even know him. He’s kind and thoughtful and all he wants is to make friends. And you know what?! I don’t even care that he’s famous. And quite frankly I can’t believe that you would even think that matters to me.” Marinette stood up and crossed her arms.

“You can show yourself out.” She stomped her way down the ladder and into her room, slamming the trap door behind her without so much as a second glance.

Chat put his head in his hands. “I’m such a fucking idiot.”

…

Adrien didn’t know what to do. He laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, with no clue what to do. He replayed Marinette’s words over and over and over in his head.

_He’s kind and thoughtful and all he wants is to make friends. And you know what?! I don’t even care that he’s famous._

Why did he react like that? Was he jealous of himself? He hadn’t put much thought into the way he felt about his Mari. She was funny and strong and cute and she was his very good friend. Was she just a friend to him?

He was in love with Ladybug. That was an absolute from the moment he’d met her. But lately, he’d kind of put his thoughts for her on the back burner. It was almost a knee jerk reaction. Who did he love? Ladybug. It was automatic. And it wasn’t like he just wasn’t in love with her anymore. If anything he felt like their relationship had gotten a little stronger. Their teamwork started to feel more in sync. She started to laugh at his puns instead of looking at him like an annoying little brother. She didn’t scold him for his flirting.

He knew he could never let go of what he felt for Ladybug, but he couldn’t dimiss that he might also have feelings for Marinette. Would he be an asshole for pursuing her while he still had feelings for Ladybug? Adrien was so screwed. He couldn’’t keep up with all of his thoughts and he hated that he couldn’t confide in anyone about it. Especially because usually when he wanted to get something off his chest, he would immediately talk to Marinette.

How did it happen? How did he get there? How did it go from being nice, being friendly, to whatever this was? When did he start feeling like this? He felt like an idiot.

Adrien felt like an idiot and all he wanted to do was scream. What the hell was he gonna do?

“Plagg.”

“Yeeees?”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“When in doubt, I just do what I want. It usually works out.”

“Didn’t you tell me you destroyed Atlantis.”

“I said _usually_ works out.”

“You aren’t making me feel any better.”

“Look kid, I don’t know anything about love, but I know that you’re gonna do the right thing. In the end, you always do.” Adrien didn’t respond.

…

When Chat finally decided he was ready, he made his way to Marinette’s balcony. He was so nervous he was shaking and he was shaking so much that petals were beginning to fall off the flowers he’d gathered into a bouquet. She wasn’t on the balcony when he got there but he bent down to the trap door and knocked gently. Chat felt like time was passing around him in slow motion. What seemed like hours later, Marinette cracked open the trap door and peered out, eyes narrowed.

“Have you come to apologize for being an ass?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The door flew open and Mari climbed up until she was sitting on the edge, legs dangling into her room and arms crossed. Her hair was down and she was in her pajamas and most importantly, she looked beautiful. Even if there was a scowl on her face.

“I’m listening.”

Chat took a deep breath.

“I’m an idiot.” It came out fast and loud like the words were tumbling out of his mouth. Marinette looked unimpressed.

“Uh huh.”

Chat scratched his head.

“I was acting like an idiot. I know you aren’t the kind of person who would fall in love with someone just because they’re famous. You’re smart and a good judge of character and you would never feel strongly about someone just because of the way they look on the outside. I know that. You caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to say so I just said something stupid and I’m really sorry.” Marinette held her expression for a mere moment before giving up and giving Chat a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

“Well, there’s more..”Marinette cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I have something I have to tell you and its really important to me.” Chat handed the flowers he’d been holding to Marinette. She took them cautiously.

“Okay… whats wrong?”

“Look Mari, I trust you more than anyone else in the world. You’re my best friend and you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re kind, and- and you’re beautiful.” Chat looked everywhere but at Marinette’s face as he kept talking.

“I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few days and I realized that you’re one of the most important things in my life. And because of the trust I have in you and the way I care about you, I decided that you deserve to know who I am.”

“Wait- Chat-“

“Plagg, Claws In.”

Marinette dropped the flowers.

“Oh my god,” she gasped.

“Marinette I love you and you deserve to know that.”

Marinette put her hand to her forehead.

“Oh my god,” she mumbled

“Mari, are you okay.”

“Um…. Oh my god,” she said again, but this time a little louder.

Adrien fidgeted with his shirt awkwardly.

“Not to ruin the moment, but I’m staving.” Adrien rolled his eyes and pulled a piece of camembert out of his shirt pocket.

“Plagg, please shut up and sit down. Marinette do you want me to do anything right now? I know this is a lot, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”

“I- Chat-Adrien-Oh my god.”Marinette was staring at the trap door like she wanted to slip down into it. Adrien was standing there awkwardly, still fidgeting with his shirt. Finally Mari pushed herself up to stand, put her hands on her hips and looked Adrien dead in the eye.

“Tikki spots on.” Adrien stared and for a moment it didn’t register with him. But then-

“Oh my God,” he whispered. And then Adrien was laughing. It was a hysterical laugh that you laughed when nothing else made sense. When the love of your life turns out to be your best friend in disguise.

When Adrien finally got ahold of himself, he plopped himself down on the floor of Marinette’s balcony and laid down, nothing in view but the stars.

“You broke him,” Plagg said.

“He broke me first,” Ladybug grumbled. She sounded far away.

“I don’t really know what to say,” Adrien admitted.

“ Me neither.” Adrien glanced at Ladybug who was transformed right in front of him. Her eyes looked as far away as she sounded.

“Can you just lay here with me and hold my hand while I figure it out?” Adrien asked. He geld his hand out and was brought back to the very first night he’d whisked her across Paris to get her out of the cold.

When Ladybug looked at him, Adrien felt like an idiot all over again. Because in her face he could see her. She wasn’t Ladybug, she was his Mari. And they weren’t two people he loved they were one person he loved and somehow things were simpler and more complicated all at the same time.

Ladybug didn’t respond to him. She just walked over to him and all but fell down in the space next to him and grasped his hand tight in hers.

And after a long while of the two of them rifling through their thoughts, Ladybug spoke.

“You’re an idiot.”

...

A [Companion Comic](https://andtheyweredeskmates.tumblr.com/post/617024051822657536/companion-comic-i-made-to-this-ficlet-i-wrote) I drew up


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